2017 April Newsletter

In 2016, Kennedy installed a Footgolf Course on the par-3. So now you can play golf or Footgolf with your friends. Come out and try it today!What's Footgolf?? FootGolf is a combination of the popular sports of soccer and golf, being more closely related to golf. The rules largely correspond to the rules of golf and players kick a soccer ball at a golf course facility on shortened holes with 21-inch diameter cups in as few shots as possible.Kids play FREE!At Kennedy, kids can play free all season with a paying adult. You can play golf or Footgolf free with your family and friends.Do you need your own ball? No, but if you have one bring it. You can rent a ball but there are limited supplies available.Do you need to make a tee time?Just like golf, making a tee time is always a good idea but you can also walk up. Without a reserved tee time you may have to wait to get on. For more information or to make a tee time, call the Kennedy Golf Shop at 720.865.0720 or go to www.cityofdenvergolf.com/book-a-tee-time

If you are an beginner or intermediate player, the Women's Golf Experiences are for you. In conjunction with the Colorado Women's Golf Association, Denver Golf is hosting THREE events this year.

May 13 @ Overland Park July 8th at City ParkNEW!! July 16th at Harvard Gulch

At Overland and City Park you will have a 1/2 day of lessons covering full swing, putting, chipping and rules & etiquette. Price includes lunch and prizes after golf! New this year, Harvard Gulch will host an on-course clinic. 9-hole with lesson and lunch included. For more information or to register,click here.

Night Golf Events May 19 @ Overland Park

Come take part in The Mile High City's premier after hours golf experience! Night Golf gears up in May at Overland Park. $55 includes your green fee, glow balls, glow accessories, and one drink ticket. Sign up begins May 12. Call the Overland Park Pro Shop at 720.865.0430 to register.

Denver City Amateur Registration Is OPEN!June 17 & 18 at City Park

Compete with other amateurs from in and around the Denver Metro area. ALL handicap levels welcome. Field is flighted so you will just play against players in your own handicap range. You do NOT have to be a Denver resident to play. $150 Includes green fees and range balls for two days.

Come practice at the best grass driving range in the Denver Metro area! Overland Park will be moving from mats to grass April 13th. Driving range will be closed Monday evenings at 5 p.m. through the month of April so the maintenance crew can mow and do maintenance early Tuesday morning. The driving range will re-open no later than 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday mornings.

PGA HOPE ProgramApril 27-May 25 @ Wellshire 4;30 - 6:00 PM Open to all Military and their friends and familyCall Wellshire Pro Shop for more information/registration 720.865.0440

PGA HOPE Program is the military pillar of the PGA REACH program. PGA HOPE provides golf as a therapeutic rehabilitation tool for all military Veterans. The lifetime sport of golf has proven to be an excellent outlet for activity and competition but also allows military to assimilate back into their community through the social interaction the game provides.

Every Thursday beginning April 13th through June 29th, the Titleist Rep will be at Overland Golf Course doing custom club fittings. These fittings are by appointment only. To make an appointment, please go online to: titleist.com/Thursday, type in your zip code and you will see the dates and times available here at Overland Park.

Mario's Garden at Harvard Gulch

Harvard Gulch was featured in this news article about the creation of Mario's Garden.

By aniancoloradoAs a leader at Rosedale Community Garden, I often booked the golf clubhouse across the street at the Harvard Gulch Recreation Center for classes, meetings and big events. Along the way, I got to know the manager of the golf course, Jessie Moisson and we often talked about gardening. Jessie had been thinking about starting a garden near the clubhouse and last Spring, when I mentioned the possibility again, he was ready. Jessie quickly scheduled a meeting with me and the chief horticulturalist of the Denver golf courses, John Swain and Mario’s Garden was born. The garden was named in memory a beloved little squirrel who visited often and was befriended by the golf staff.READ MORE

Kirk Mease receives PGA REACH Pillar Award

Congratulations to Kirk Mease, Head Professional at Wellshire Golf Course, on being selected as the 2017 Colorado PGA REACH Pillar Award winner for his work in Supporting our Military!

PGA REACH provides therapeutic rehabilitation to military Veterans through the game of golf. Since 2007, the PGA HOPE program has offered what many Veterans are missing: competition via a sport they can play for the rest of their lives. Wellshire has one of the few PGA REACH programs in Colorado, and have been growing this program over the past few years.

Impressed by Kirk's commitment to one of the three pillars embodied in the REACH Foundation, the CPGA REACH board of trustees has awarded Kirk a $500 grant to pursue the personal or professional development opportunity of his choice.

The detention area is an essential part of Platte to Park Hill: Stormwater Systems. It will be integrated into an updated course design that will be even more enjoyable for golfers and help protect some of the city’s most at-risk neighborhoods from flooding. Integrating storm water detention in golf courses is a very common practice. Outside of major storms, the area will remain a dry, fully-functioning golf course. After considering technical merits and community input, City Park Golf Course was selected for water detention because it will protect significantly more homes and businesses; enhance an existing city asset; reduce the need for private property acquisition; and provides for future stormwater needs.

Where are we in the redesign process?Three design-build contractor teams have were selected in January to submit proposals.

Landscapes Unlimited, LLC, with golf course architect/designer Robert Trent Jones II Saunders Construction, Inc., with golf course architect/designer Icon Golf Studio SEMA Construction, Inc., with golf course architect/designer DYE DesignsThe Second round of team interviews were complete in late March. Final submittal date Requests For Information (RFI) and Alternative Concepts (ATC) may be submitted up until April 14th. Proposals are due May 12th. Interviews for each team will take place on May 23rd.

Junior Coach applications for the 2017 summer season are due April 14th.

The First Tee of Denver’s Junior Coach Program was created for young adults to help model and teach the nine core values to our younger participants as well as give them job skills. The program allows us to reduce the ratio of instructors to participants so we can ensure that all of the participants are getting the most out of our classes. The Junior Coach program is also a chance for students to continue to develop their own life skills and prepare them for their next step in life. Junior Coaches are chosen based on application packets, personal interviews, their participation in The First Tee of Denver programming, and academic performances in school as well as leadership capabilities.

Weed control in Landscaping Most people rely on back-breaking hand removal to remove weed problems. Hand pulling may be successful for a few weeds, but for most it is only partially effective. Weeds have defense mechanisms that reduce the effectiveness of hand pulling. In reality, hand pulling weeds is one of several practices that should be used together for optimum weed control in flowerbeds. These additional practices include the use of mulch, preemergence herbicides and, to a limited extent, postemergence herbicides.

Mulch Mulch is an extremely important tool for weed management in landscape beds. Mulch acts as a physical barrier to the emerging seedling, and it prevents sunlight from reaching the soil surface. Blocking sunlight is important because some weed seeds will not germinate without stimulation from sunlight. Also, sunlight is critical for the new weed seedling to begin photosynthesis for growth and development.

Pre-emergence herbicides Using herbicides for flowerbed weed control can be difficult because of the wide array of high-value ornamental plants grown and their varying tolerances to herbicides. When it comes to herbicide use in flowerbeds, ornamentals are most tolerant of pre-emergence herbicides.

Pre-emergence herbicides are weed preventers that are used in most every row crop to supplement a bevy of postemergence herbicide choices. However, these types of herbicides are almost exclusively relied upon for flowerbed weed management and are the backbone of chemical weed control in landscape beds. Pre-emergence herbicides work by forming a barrier in the upper ½ to 1 inch of the mulch or soil where most seeds germinate and kill weeds as they attempt to emerge.

These herbicides have no effect on existing weeds, so timing the pre-emergence herbicide application properly is critical for success. Applications must occur before weed germination because they work prior to weed emergence. Any existing weeds should be hand removed or carefully spot-treated with a non-selective herbicide prior to treatment. Consult product labels concerning tolerances by desirable plants.

Post-emergence herbicides It is important to control weeds with mulch and pre-emergence herbicides because once they have emerged, your options become more limited. Few selective post-emergence herbicides are available, especially for broadleaf weeds. Glyphosate (Roundup) can be carefully spot-treated or applied for hard-to-control weeds.